Sentimental Moments
by stubzs87
Summary: I'm not sure I got my back well enough at your place." She held up the bottle for him to take. "Could you get it for me?" He snorted but took the bottle nonetheless. "I think you're just stalling. And looking for an excuse for me to touch you while you're at it." "I have no idea what you're talking about, Nakamura-san," she affected a cool expression. Sequel to Play It Cool.


_**Author's Notes: Sorry for the slow updates. I've been dealing with some hard RL stuff for the back month and a half. Plus writing this series has been a little tricky. This fic was originally the first sequel I wrote to Noh Mask. But plans changed and I ended up writing things out of order. I'm still writing stuff in this series out of order for this series. The most important thing is that they are getting written though. **_

_**text in italics = Shinsuke's thoughts**_  
_**text in or quotes in bold = emphasis on words.**_  
_**Quotes in regular text = Spoken Japanese**_  
_**Quotes in Italics = Spoken English.**_

_**Kappa - Translates as "River child". A Japanese folkloric creature or demon that appears half human and half turtle. Like Kitsune they are seen as trickers (engaging in behavior such as innocent pranks to more nefarious acts).**_

_**As always, enjoy~**_

* * *

Shinsuke stood on the shore of Cocoa Beach, eyes closed and a smile on his face as he relished the cool waves of the Atlantic breaking against his legs.

The smell of salt water on the breeze, sand between his toes, seafoam misting his sun-kissed skin. No matter how far away from Kyoto he was, as long as he had access to the sensations of the ocean, he felt at ease. The great expanse of blue water was like a second home to him. If he didn't get to visit it at least once a week, he became mildly despondent.

On his time off from work, Shinsuke **had** to surf. The urge to ride the waves summoned him from deep within his bones like a siren's beckoning song.

He was quite surprised that Asuka hadn't started calling him a kappa. She already accused him of being a kitsune in disguise.

Thinking of her brought a broader smile to his face.

Asuka was also quickly becoming a constant in his life that he felt he could not quite function properly without.

He fell for her hard and fast the moment she boldly entered his personal space to steal the Kobe beef they had been fighting over. That night felt like years ago despite the passage of only a few months.

That only spoke volumes of the strength of their connection. They both understood each other in many ways that few others could.

"_What are you smiling about, Shin?"_ The voice of his good friend and fellow surfing enthusiast, Sin Cara, interrupted his thoughts.

Shinsuke opened his eyes, his head turning to look at Sin Cara. _"Hmm? Oh nothing really,"_ he faced the ocean again. _"Just enjoying the beauty of nature. It never fails to move me." _

"_You're quite right, amigo,"_ Sin Cara replied, also gazing out over the water to some point where the ocean and the sky met.

Only two days had passed since he and Asuka had finally stopped dancing around one another. Still, they were being as discreet as ever about their relationship.

In their culture, couples often did not go to great lengths to show public displays of affection – especially so for new couples – and that particular societal norm had followed them both over to America.

Neither of them had discussed when or how they would reveal their status to their friends and co-workers, but Shinsuke was content to be patient and wait a bit longer for her to broach the subject with him.

The more he thought about his spitfire of a woman, the more Shinsuke wondered why she had not yet joined him and his friend at the shore.

He had hoped to teach her to boogie board as opposed to surfing after taking into consideration what had happened last time she had tried to learn it.

Sometimes he still had nightmares and flashbacks of the frightening moment he almost lost her.

Though she had blamed herself for her foolishness, Shinsuke shouldered his own blame. It was he who had goaded her into trying to surf; he was the one to brush away her uncertainty in the beginning in favor of his own selfish goal of sharing one of his passions with her. He had been so positive that he could protect her from danger.

And he had nearly failed her completely.

Though he silently vowed never to coach her in surfing again (unless she asked him to and only if he felt she was mentally and physically ready for it), he didn't want to her afraid of getting back into the water. He also didn't want to worry about her being in the ocean when he couldn't always have his eyes on her.

Boogie boarding seemed to be the perfect activity to teach Asuka something fun and mostly harmless, as well as giving her a better idea of general ocean safety.

"_Have you seen Asuka?"_ he asked.

"_Yeah."_ Sin Cara turned towards the beach and pointed.

Shinsuke's gaze followed Sin Cara's hand to find Asuka was still among the sun-tanners. She was sitting on her towel, the boogie board he had gotten for her lying forgotten beside her while she fiddled with a bottle.

He gave a small sigh and adjusted his grip on his own boogie board. Perhaps this was going to be more difficult than he first suspected.

"_I'll be right back,"_ he said.

Jogging up the beach, he discovered that Asuka had a bottle of sunscreen in her hand and was applying it to her skin at a snail's pace. She looked up when he arrived, waving up at him with a sheepish smile.

"Asuka, I know you already put sunscreen on before we left for the beach," Shinsuke chided with his free hand on his hip.

"Never hurts to be extra careful," she countered, "I don't tan like you. I burn. Besides, I'm not sure I got my back well enough at your place." She held up the bottle for him to take. "Could you get it for me?"

He snorted but took the bottle nonetheless. "I think you're just stalling. And looking for an excuse for me to touch you while you're at it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Nakamura-san," she affected a cool expression.

"You cannot fool me, Asuka."

Asuka said nothing to argue his point, but he played along with her little game anyway.

He placed his board down on the ground and settled in behind her. After warming up the sunscreen between his hands, he placed them on her shoulders and commenced rubbing the lotion into her skin. His movements were slow and soothing, focusing several moments on each section of her back before moving on and repeating the process.

Asuka let out a tiny hum of satisfaction and leaned into his touch.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Nakamura-san was giving me a massage."

"I'm just trying to help you relax," Shinsuke lied partly. He too was enjoying the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers. "Remember what we talked about? You won't be more than fifty feet or so from the shore, still in the shallows. And you will only be riding small waves."

"I'm not afraid," she insisted.

Shinsuke chanced taking her hand in his for a second. "It's is okay to be." He then grabbed his boogie board and climbed to his feet, offering to help her up.

Asuka picked up her board and accepted his aid. They allowed their hands linger in each other's for a few moments longer before they reluctantly let go.

"Let's go," he said.

She inclined her head. "Alright."

"See how easy the position is?" Shinsuke asked, lying on his stomach on the boogie board in demonstration. He had already taught her about rip currents and how to escape them, among other many necessary safety measures. Now they were getting to the fun part. "Let me see you try," he suggested.

Asuka followed his example and climbed onto the board so that only her legs were still in the water. Her hands clung on to the front of the board.

"Like this, Nakamura-sensei?" she asked, the pink tip of her tongue poking teasingly out at him.

Shinsuke wanted to swim over and capture her smart tongue with his kiss. Instead, he made an 'O' with his index finger and thumb and winked.

"Perfect. Now, we simply wait for a good wave to come," he explained. Sliding partway off his board, he turned so his back was facing the ocean. He twisted his head around periodically so he could keep at eye on the waves. "When one comes near, quickly hop onto your board, like you just did, and start paddling away towards the beach. Avoid the crest of the wave, look to stay in 'belly' or just ahead of the crest. If you time it just right, you can stop paddling and the wave will carry you back down towards the shore on its own power."

Again Asuka mimicked him, though a slight tremor of nervousness passed over her face, trembling her lip.

"How will I know when the time is right?" she inquired.

He spotted a wave heading in and winked at her again. "You're about to find out. Just move with me." Beneath the water, he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Trust me?"

"Yes," she answered, gripping his hand in return.

Shinsuke's heart filled to bursting at the gesture and he nearly forgot to let go of her hand. Forcing his eyes off of her, he glanced back once more in order to gauge the distance of the wave. They had only seconds left to prepare.

"Get ready," he announced, then as the wave came within ten feet of them, he shouted "Now!" and jumped on his board.

Immediately he began paddling and kicking his feet to generate the speed he needed. Once he was free to let the wave take over, he looked over to see Asuka's progress.

She was right beside him, riding the wave beautifully. An expression of wonder accompanied her gleeful giggles as she appreciated the natural force propelling her along.

Shinsuke's heart swelled with even more love and admiration for the wondrous woman next to him and he joined her in laughter.

Eventually, the wave's energy burned out and they eased to a stop about a few yards from the shoreline. Sin Cara was nearby and Shinsuke could hear him cheering and clapping for Asuka.

"_Good boogie!"_ Sin Cara called, giving her a thumbs up.

Asuka beamed at the Luchador. _"Thank you, Sin Cara!"_ She then turned back to Shinsuke and began to jump up in down in the hip-deep water, resulting in a lot of splashing. "Again! Again! Again!"

"Okay, okay," Shinsuke chuckled at her boundless enthusiasm. Though he preferred surfing to boogie boarding, he was just happy to be in the water with her. "Would you like to try a bigger wave?"

"Yes!" she grabbed his wrist and led him deeper into the water, "Let's go!"

Grinned from ear to ear, Shinsuke was glad to see that Asuka's previous disaster in the ocean had not instilled a deep-seated phobia in her.

The three of them stayed at Cocoa Beach for rest of the afternoon, only taking breaks from the water to get something to eat.

Asuka got plenty of boogie boarding in, to the extent that she no longer had to look to Shinsuke for guidance. Together they road waves of many sizes, and at times Sin Cara joined them in riding the waves (though he chose to do so without a board at all; the show off).

At one point Shinsuke momentarily left the water to simply watch from a different perspective as Asuka continued to boogie board. He also wanted to snap a few pictures of her on his phone.

During his interlude, she ended up riding a wave so large that it brought her all the way onto the beach.

Shinsuke stood nervously while watching, body tense and ready to act. He was afraid that the wave might throw her hard onto the sand. Shore breaks, though less dangerous than rip currents, were known to injure people.

However, the wave, as though sensing his apprehension, laid her rather gingerly on the beach. When he and Sin Cara came running up to her, they found her laughing uncontrollably on her board.

"_Amazing, Asuka!"_ he praised once he discerned she was unharmed.

She still hadn't stopped her adorable laughing and she could hardly get the breath to talk. _"I've got sand in my swimsuit!" _she exclaimed. Suddenly blushing profusely, she plucked a seashell from her bathing suit top. _"Maybe more than just sand."_

Shinsuke felt warmth flooding his own cheeks upon catching the most tantalizing glimpse of Asuka's ample cleavage than had ever seen to date. He shot his gaze away quickly to focus on Sin Cara's face, to check whether or not his friend was being respectable.

It wasn't like he was jealous or anything. He just felt that ogling was rather rude in general. Nope, not jealous at all.

"_Just be thankful it wasn't a crab,"_ Sin Cara told her, though he was staring right back at Shinsuke, shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter.

Shinsuke's ire rose again, but for a completely different reason. _"Hey, that only happened once…"_ he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Regardless of his pout, both Asuka and Sin Cara burst out laughing.

"_You two are the worst…"_ he chided, but a wry smile still found its way onto his face. As long as there was no unwanted staring at Asuka's chest, he'd be the butt of any joke.

When the waves became bigger Sin Cara took to them on his surfboard. Shinsuke decided he would stay on the beach with Asuka. But that didn't stop him from looking at the waves with something akin to a pining stare. If one thing were to rival his love for Asuka, it would be surfing.

Asuka's intuition seemed to kick in and she told him, "Get in there. I'll be right here when you get back."

Shinsuke wanted to kiss her again.

"Thank you!" he breathed, resting his hand on hers briefly. He then quickly readied his surfboard and hit the waves.

He and Sin Cara happily surfed until the winds died down and it became impossible to continue.

Around that time it was getting into evening. It was also at that point Sin Cara decided he was going to pack it up and head back home. He had a wife, daughter, and pair of dogs that he wanted to spend some time with before he had to head back on the road.

While they helped Sin Cara load up his SUV, the Luchador clapped him on the shoulder.

"_You don't gotta hide it from me, man, I know you two are together,"_ he said.

Shinsuke went a little rigid beneath Sin Cara's hand. He couldn't help it. Maybe it had to do with his time as the super rookie in New Japan when quite a few of his peers in the company had viewed him with disdain at his early successes. It caused him to be a little on the suspicious side back then. Maybe he still hadn't completely rid himself of being cautious of others' intentions.

"_But,"_ Sin Cara went on calmly. _"I can understand if you don't want everyone else knowing and being all up in your business. I respect that. I won't breath a word about it." _

At that Shinsuke's body relaxed. _"Thank you."_

"_What are you two talking about?"_ Asuka asked after rounding the corner of the vehicle.

"_Sin Cara knows what is going on between us,"_ Shinsuke said plainly.

"_Eh?"_ Her eyes widened and her face turned a lovely shade of pink. _"B-But how?"_

Sin Cara chuckled. _"Ohh just a hunch. But don't worry, my lips are sealed."_ He made a motion of zipping his lips.

"_T-That's good."_ Asuka placed her hands on her knees, letting out a sigh of relief.

Once everything was packed, Shinsuke and Asuka exchanged goodbyes with Sin Cara and watched as their his SUV disappeared down the road.

Though they were now completely out of sight of any other co-workers to their knowledge, Shinsuke knew that the prying eyes of fans might be around. Yet as the sun began to gradually get lower in the sky, he could hardly resist wanting to share a particularly special moment with Asuka.

They had also packed up his vehicle and changed from their swimwear into street clothes. Shinsuke felt the timing was perfect.

"I want to show you something," he said, tenderly taking her small hand in his.

"Oh?" Asuka blushed, looking from him to their joined hands. She then smiled ruefully up at him. "Is this like a date?"

He grinned back. "Perhaps."

Together they walked hand in hand to the Cocoa Beach Pier, which stretched over 800 yards into the Atlantic.

"Awesome~" Asuka murmured. Her eyes darted to and fro as they went, from the restaurants and gift shops to the street bands playing music along the pier.

All of the bands were fun to listen to. But one, in particular, played music that spoke to Shinsuke more intensely than the others. And there weren't even any lyrics to listen to, simply a trio of instrument players. It was a rocking combination of a trumpet, saxophone, and drums; something he never before even considered would sound so right.

Before he knew it, he went from merely bobbing his head to the music, to pulling Asuka over to dance with him.

She looked startled and ready to protest at first.

"Just move with the music and trust me," he pleaded.

Relief exploded over him when she nodded and eased into his arms.

Shinsuke used that energy and the music as a base to create a dance rhythm for her to follow. They started out playing it a somewhat safe: her hand in his, his other arm around her waist as they swayed together.

As the music and their courage picked up, so did their pace. He began spinning her round and round, and then out and back to him, adding more complicated steps each time.

And still, all the energies continued to build.

He spun her away from him once more and this time released her hand, allowing her the freedom to dance how she wished. They were both lost in their own world for a few moments, dancing to their own beat.

The music washed over him, taking over his body and his spirit. Nearly every part of his body was infused with the rhythm of the instruments and he wasn't afraid to put them to use. Everything from his head down to his fingers and his waist down to his feet moved in time with the music.

After working his heart rate up to a proper rapid staccato, he paused briefly to watch Asuka in motion. He became utterly in awe of her movements.

He'd seen her prance her way to the ring or shake her hips sassily at opponents many times, but never had he seen her really dance before.

Her body flowed with a graceful charisma that moved him to the very core. Every step and twirl appeared to have a purpose, a meaning. Her dance almost told a story whose connotation eluded Shinsuke, but nonetheless captivated him.

When he offered her his hand to rejoin him, she pirouetted the distance separating them effortlessly to take it. For the continued duration of the song, they danced together again, taking turns at the lead.

The song felt like it simultaneously lasted a small eternity and ended far too soon.

Shinsuke came to a stop with Asuka pressed to his front like a second skin. Nothing else existed to him except for the woman in his arms, causing the outside world to melt away.

Their mouths were only a hair's breadth away and he felt like he was breathing her in like she was life itself.

He most certainly almost kissed her that time.

He instead kissed her in a different way, pressing his forehead gently yet intimately to hers. He closed his eyes and basked in her aura. Asuka's hands lightly fisted the front of his shirt. Her unique spirit touched his soul, tentatively at first, then entwined with his essence. A blanket of tranquility surrounded Shinsuke at the meshing of their souls. And from the way Asuka stood relaxed against his body told him that she felt something similar, if not totally the same.

A round of applause echoed in his head as though from somewhere in the distance. The effect was quite dreamlike. Soon enough another song started up and the world roared back to jarring life around them.

Shinsuke was torn between sharing another dance with her and continuing on down to the end of the pier.

The decision was made for him as he pulled his head back from hers to glance up at the darkening sky.

"Let's hurry or we'll miss it," he said.

"Miss what?" she questioned.

"Be patient," he booped her on the nose. "You'll see soon enough."

They both tipped the musicians generously then went on their way.

Just shortly before reaching the very end of the long pier, he stopped at a small ice cream stall run by a kindly elderly man. He frequented the stall often when he was in the area.

Pulling out his wallet he asked, "What flavor do you want?"

Asuka spent a moment going over all the ice cream buckets displayed behind the window, her finger held adorably to her lips as she mulled over her choices.

"Hmm…what is this one?" she inquired, pointing to one of the buckets.

Shinsuke peered over her shoulder and chuckled. Of course she would pick one of the more colorful looking ice creams. "_Neapolitan._ It's vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry."

"_Oh! Yes this one, please!"_ she exclaimed happily.

He ordered and paid for her Neapolitan on a cone plus a fudge ripple cone for himself. They thanked the old man running the stall then continued down the boardwalk.

While he ate his ice cream at a normal pace, Asuka started on her ice cream with small, cautious licks. Those cute experimental licks quickly grew bolder the more accustomed her taste buds became to the trio of flavors. It wasn't long before she was eagerly biting into the cone.

Smiling at her obvious culinary enjoyment, he said, "How do you like your _Neapolitan_?"

"It's very good, thank you," she answered around a mouthful of the last remnants of her frozen treat.

"My pleasure," he replied, smile widening to a toothy grin at her verbal confirmation of his visual assessment. He relished her delight just as much as he reveled in the taste of his own soon-to-be polished off cone.

Upon finally arriving at the end of the pier, Shinsuke looked out over the rail. He was satisfied to see that they had arrived just in time. Not to mention they were relatively alone.

He turned to Asuka and leaned his back against the wooden railing. "We're here," he announced.

Asuka's jogging footfalls echoed over the wooden planks of the pier as she closed in on the remaining space between her and the rail.

"Wow! Shinsuke, we're so high up!" she cried as she looked down in wonder at the ocean crashing against the foundation posts below. "What a wonderful view!"

"I've kept you too long in the water and now that's all you see," Shinsuke chuckled heartily, then lifted her chin carefully with his hand. "Don't miss out on the real view."

The instant her eyes met the setting sun her breath appeared to catch in her throat. She tried to speak a few times, but simply settled for staring.

For several seconds Shinsuke contented himself with witnessing how the abundant colors of the sunset played over the soft planes of her face. In his eyes, the hues only served to enhance her inward and outward beauty.

Seeing Asuka in moments like this, and earlier in the day – whether completely unfettered as she had been in the sea and on the dance floor or slightly vulnerable and open like she was now in the face of nature's exquisite grandeur – were moments Shinsuke cherished most.

"I know," he agreed with her silent amazement and finally turned his attention to the evening sun. "Sometimes there are no words."

Asuka still said nothing. She merely kept vigil on the lowering sun and the unspeakable hues of oranges, pinks, and purples it painted the clouds and waves with.

Without moving her gaze, she shifted to lean against him. She wound one arm around his waist and settled her head into the crook of his neck. Lastly, her unoccupied hand found its way onto his chest, lying directly over his heart.

Shinsuke gravitated even closer, unable to resist her pull on him. He rested his chin against the side of her head and pressed a kiss there. One arm wrapped around her shoulder. His opposite hand covered the one she held at his chest, lacing their fingers.

Together they remained all but frozen in that position on the pier. There they savored the view and their closeness until well after the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: It was really fun writing this, as it was loosely based on my boogey boarding experience in Florida several years back. I was just learning then, but it didn't take long to pick it up. Maybe not as spectacular as surfing, but it's really fun. I did have that awesome experience of being dropped on the shore by a big wave. It truly is amazing how powerful nature is! And yeah you can easily get some shells in your swim gear xD. In Shinsuke's book, he talks about having a lot of enemies in the NJPW locker room after he debuted and I think even sometime after that. Not sure if he was speaking from a kayfabe point of view or what really happened. Anyways, thought I'd play on that in this fic. **_


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